Oil-engine



' F. G. HOBART AND C. B. JAHNKE.

OIL ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 5, I917.

Patented Apr. 20, 1920. 30 2 SHEETSSHEET I.

F. G. HOBART AND C. B. JAHNKE.

OIL ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 5,19l7.

1,837,771. Patented Apr. 20,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 21 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANKLIN G. HOBART AND CHARLES B. JAI-INKE, OF IBELOIT, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNORS TO FAIRBANKS, MORSE 86 COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

Application filed November 5, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANKLIN G. Ho-

. BART and CHARLES B. J AHNKE, citizens of the foregoing objects;

United States, residin at Beloit, in the county of Rockand tate of Wisconsin, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Oil-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to explosive engines in which oil is used as fuel, and particularly to that class of such engines in which on starting, the oil charges are fired by being thrown in contact with a temporarily heated, or electrically ignited, firing device, but are, after the engine is started, fired by contacting a differently located portion of the engine mechanism which is kept hot by the continued operation of the engine. The object of the invention, is to provide a device of this class which is very compact .in form and satisfactory in operation; which can be inexpensively built, and which is not readily liable to get out of order.

The invention consists in mechanism of this class in general for carrying out the more particularly in mechanism operated from outside the engine for changing the direction of the injected oil in the engine from the regular or normal firing device to the temporary or starting igniter, and vice versa; also in providing a construction whereby the engine piston is used partially or wholly/as the hot spot or firing device during the normal operation of the engine, and finally, in details of construction which will be hereafter more fully set forth in the specification and claims.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar numerals indicate the throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a central sectional view of the head of an engine cylinder, equipped with the device of this invention, the parts being in the position which they assume at the time the engine is being started.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional detail View of the injector and the oil deflecting mechanism of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a changed position view of the parts illustrated in Fig. 2 in the position which they occupy during the normal operation of the engine after it has been started.

Fig. 4 is a view like Fig. 1 showing a Specification of Letters Patent.

same parts OIL-EN GIN E.

Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

Serial No. 200,415.

modified form of combustion chamber and a modified construction of mounting for the oil deflecting device with reference to the injector, this construction being applicable as well to the combustion chamber of Figs. 1to 3.

Fig. 5 is a changed position view corresponding to Fig. 3, of the parts illustrated in Fig. 4.

The drawings show the device applied to the upper end of a vertical cylinder 10, having a head 12 secured thereto by a bolt 1 in the ordinary manner, but the device may be used with equal facility on a horizontal engine without departing from the spirit of this invention. In the particular type of device here shown, the head 12 is comparatively thin and is machined across the surface 16 for the reception of the ballshaped casting 18 containing the proximately spherical combustion chamber 20 communicating with the interior of the cylinder 10 through the very much smaller central passage 22 out in the cylinder head 12. The piston 24 is so shaped and arranged that, on its up-stroke, it approaches as close to the cylinder head as it is practical to operate it, that is as close as the mechanical requirements of clearance will permit. Therefore, the piston is shaped to closely conform to such irregularities as occur in the cylinder head due to the presence of the usual water-jacket spaces 26 communicating with corresponding spaces in the combustion chamber casting 18.

In practice, this piston '24 gets very hot in the usual operation of the engine and we have found that it forms a convenient hot object to be used in firing oil injected into the interior of the cylinder 10 through the passageway 22. The firing of comparatively cold oil onto the piston in the manner and for the purpose last stated performs the additional advantageous function of tending to cool down this normally over-heated piston and thus keep it from distorting out of shape under the excessive heat which has heretofore frequently occurred in oil engines of this type in which the pistons are not cooled in some way from outside the en- The oil just referred to is supplied through a suitable pipe 30 from a suitable source of supply to an injector 32, preferably of the single tube type, well known in the art, suitmanner.

ably secured in one side; here the top of combustion chamber 20 with opening 34 directly in line with the passage 22, so that when the deflector plate 40 with which it cooperates is in the position shown in Fig.3, the oil flowing out of nozzle 34 has an unobstructed path through combustion chamber 20 and passageway 22 into contact with the hot piston24.

When the engine is cold, the piston 24 is, of course, cold and cannot perform the firing function just described. It is, therefore, necessary to provide a temporary firing device and to direct the oil from nozzle 34 thereto. This is accomplished byproviding inoneside ofcombustion chamber 20 a temporarily hot mechanism, such, for instance, as a'hot tube 36 which is well known in the art, set forth in our prior Patent No. 1,159,341, issued November 2nd, 1915, adapted to be heated from outside by a torch or other suitable mechanism in the ordinary In order to direct the oil from nozzle 34 to this hot tube 36, an adjustable deflector plate 40 is provided, movable between two positions; that of Figs. 1 and 2 in which oil is directed to the hot tube 36, and that of Fig. 3, in which this deflector plate is out of the way so that the oil flows from the nozzle 34 directly into passage 22.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, this deflector plate 40 is mounted upon a rotatable shaft 42 located at an acute angle to the axis of the injector 32. On the outer end of this shaft 42 is a handle 44 manipulatable by the operator to rotate the shaft andconseguently the deflector plate, as described. spring 46 is provided between the exterior of the casting 18 and the handle 44 so as to provide sufficient friction to insure the deflector plate 40 remaining in the position in which it is placed by the operator.

In the modified construction of Figs. 4 and 5, parts corresponding to all those heretofore described willbe found and they are,

for convenience, given the. same numerals of reference followed by the letter a. The essential differences are the location of the shaft 42 parallel to the injector instead of at an angle thereto; the details in the shape of the casting 18 and the difference in location and shape of the water cooling spaces 28 about the combustion chamber.

While a single stream injector has been described, it is obvious that the use of one providing more than one stream of oil, or one somewhat spattering the oil, may be used without departing from this invention. Furthermore, it is readily apparent that the deflecting device may be used in engines of this type to deflect the injected oil from any permanent firing device, of whatever character, to any temporary firing device regardless of the construction or specific location of its nozzle using, without departing from this invention.

As in prior devices, the combustion chamber 20 provides a space within which the oil injected through nozzle 34 and ignited as described may burn and expand to drive the piston downward in the cylinder 10.

In the modified form of construction shown in Fig. 4, the deflector plate a is made separate from the shaft 42 instead of these parts being -made integral, as in the construction of Figs. 1, 2 and 3; this to enable the use of a special heat resisting material, such as monometal or nickel steel for the deflector plate without its being necessary to make the entire shaft 42 of such expensive material.

The combustion chambers 20 and 26 will be referred to as valveless only in the sense that no valves used for continuous operation of the engine are applied to or control them.

.rial, a piston inside the cylinder adapted to travel into proximity with said opening, a combustion chamber outside the cylinder end communicating with said opening, means for injecting fuel material through said combustion chamber and said passageway toward the piston, an independent fuel igniting device located in the combustion chamber at one side of the normal path of travel of the fuel material to the piston, and means for selectively diverting the fuel material in the combustion chamber to said igniting device.

2. In mechanism of the class described, a walled chamber having two independent fuel igniting devices located at separated points therein, means admitting fuel material to said combustion chamber directed normally toward one of said igniting devices, and selectively controllable means operated from outside the combustion chamber engaged by the fuel material after it has left said admitting means for temporarily diverting the fuel material in the chamber to an angle from its normal direction so that it strikes the second igniting means.

3. In mechanism of the class described, a receptacle forming a hollow combustion chamber. means pointed in a given direction for admitting fuel material into the combustion ,chamber, a shaft rotatable with reference to the wall of the combustion chamber, a deflector member inside said combustion chamber and movable by said shaft between two positions; in one of which it turns the fuel material at an angle to its normal path of travel, and the other in which it clears the path of travel of fuel material passing through said admitting means, and means,

outsi e the combustion chamber for rotating the shaft to move the deflector, as det a fuel injector therethrough, a shaft through said wall ina direction generally parallel to the axis of the fuel injector, means on one side of the wall for rotatin the shaft, and a deflector member on the s aft on the other side of the wall movable by the rotation of the shaft from a position where it obstructs the flow of fuel material from the jector to'a position where it does not so obstruct it.

In a device of the class described, the

combination with an imperforate wall and a fuel injector therethrough, a shaft through said wall in a direction generally parallel to the axis of the fuel injector, means on one side of the wall for rotating the shaft, a defie'ctor member on the shaft on the other side of the wall movable by the rotation of the shaft from a position where it obstructs the flow of fuel material from the injector to a position where it does'not so obstruct it, and frictional retarding means for holding the parts in any desired position.

'6. In a device of the class described, the

combination with an imperforate wall and a fuel injector therethrough, a shaftthrough said wall in a direction generally parallel to the axis of the fuel injector,means on one side of the wall for rotatin the shaft, a deflector member on the sha t on the other side of the wall movable by the rotation of the shaft from a position whe're'it obstructs the flow of fuel material from the injector to a position where it does not so obstruct it, and spring ur ed friction retarding means for holding t e parts in any desired position.

7. In a device of the class described, the combination with an imperforate wall, a fuel injector therethrough, a shaft in said wall in a-direction generally parallel to the axis of the-fuel injector, means on one side of the wall for rotating the shaft, and a deflector member of spec1alheat resisting material on the shaft on the other side of the wall movable by rotation of the shaft between two positions; in one of which it obstructs and in the other of which it does not obstruct the flow of fuel from the injector.

In witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names.

FRANKLIN G. HOBART. CHARLES B. JAHNKE. 

